Litchfield committee begins town hall improvement study

LITCHFIELD >> The Town Hall Building Committee approved having John Martin Associates Architects give an analysis for a 20-year outlook in maintenance improvements to the current town hall building and Bantam Annex for a fee of $5,500, at their regular meeting on Wednesday. This is a recent expanded charge for the commission which was originally given the charge to only look into building a new town hall.

Public Works Director Jack Healy told committee members that both buildings would need new roofs, that there are issues with air conditioning at town hall, that there is a need for new windows, water leakage in the probate court at the Bantam Annex. There are ADA compliance issues at Town Hall as well.

"This has been pushed and pushed," said Healy.

The Board of Finance at a meeting Monday approved $7,000 from the capital non-recurring fund to finance the expanded charge.

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The language within the Town Hall Building Committee's mission now reads "The committee shall be responsible for preparing a conceptual design and obtaining construction cost estimates. The architect shall review the plan with the municipal officers and employees prior to public hearings. The committee shall prepare cost estimates necessary for code compliance, maintenance and renovation for the current town hall and annex buildings as anticipated for 20 years." "It shall prepare annual operational cost estimates for the conceptual new town hall and for the current town hall and annex buildings."

The lastest plan envisions a 15,500-square-foot building that would sit in the back lot of the current town hall on West Street (Route 202), with an estimated cost of approximately $5 million.

Committee member and Selectman Jeffrey Zullo made it clear that he voted against the expansion when the Board of Selectmen voted.

He previously stated the town should look at all buildings including schools in town before going to the public with a new town hall building proposal.

"We're not looking at this completely," said Zullo.

Committee member Ann Combs said she thought it would be dangerous ground to look at the schools as a possibility for a new town hall building.

The future use of a town hall was discussed among committee members at length in an age when committee members said people are doing everything remotely.

They also discussed bringing the current town hall up to code. Members discussed issues of being digitally behind in the town hall and the future of the town and the economy.

"The grain of Litchfield and decline of families with young children has been happening for a long time," said committee member Lynne Brickley.

Healy said its time for this committee to finish the job and bring a proposal to the voters.